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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24832486">Soon You'll Get Better</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twentysomethingloser92/pseuds/Twentysomethingloser92'>Twentysomethingloser92</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agent Carter (TV), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Nightmares, Slow Burn, Smut, Time Travel, mental health</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:15:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,871</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24832486</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twentysomethingloser92/pseuds/Twentysomethingloser92</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After being removed from his own time, Agent Daniel Sousa finds himself in 2020 lost, alone and vulnerable. </p><p>You, an Avenger, find yourself face to face with Director Coulson and Agent May begging you to help another man out of time. </p><p>This time however, instead of a super soldier, you meet an average man haunted by war and a time he once knew.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daniel Sousa/Original Female Character, Daniel Sousa/Reader, Past Daniel Sousa/Peggy Carter, past Daniel Sousa/Violet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Time After Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm so sorry if Daniel seems OOC, I haven't watched Agent Carter in such a long- I'm hoping to binge watch it when I have some time off work.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You loved the mornings. </p><p>You truly did. You loved being awake before everyone else, the stillness of the cold air outside, a chance to reflect towards the day ahead. Almost every morning you could be found by the compound lake watching as the mist dusted itself off the top of the water with a hot cup of coffee in your hand and headphones in your ears.<br/>
Once upon a time, you would be joined by the blonde super soldier you had helped adapt years earlier, a tight shirt covering his chest and a drink bottle in his hand. The mornings would be filled with laughter and joking as you both prepared for the day head.<br/>
These days however, the years after the accords and the dismantling of the Avengers, you found yourself longing for those days with your friends in front of the television or training with the most deadliest assassins in the world.</p><p>You missed your friends.</p><p>"Good morning Audrey," You smiled at the young brunette woman who was currently leaning against her door frame flicking through her mail, "How are you today?" </p><p>The young girls brown eyes lit up as she gave you a wide smile. Audrey, last name unknown because she never told you or you never bothered to really ask, was your unusually quiet neighbor who occasionally made her presence known by knocking on your door and coming in for a cup of tea, usually talking about her recently deceased grandparents or her family. </p><p>"I'm great. Would be better if I stopped getting bills but hey, that's capitalism for you," She laughed as she placed the envelopes in her back pocket, "Oh! I almost forgot to mention, your uncle and his girlfriend are visiting. They asked me to let them in earlier and I've seen them come in and out of your apartment before so I hope you don't mind,"</p><p>Your mouth fell open slightly, "Erm sure, thanks Audrey. Next time could you call me though?" </p><p>The young woman nodded, "Absolutely, I'm so sorry,"</p><p>You nodded and turned to your door, "It's fine honestly. I trust him with my life. Just next time let me know there's people in my apartment," You grinned as you pushed the front door open, giving the young woman a small wave as you entered your apartment and closed the door. </p><p>Throwing your bag down on the ground you made your way through the hall and into the living room where you saw your long time friend and mentor Phil Coulson,  Agent Melinda May and a dark haired brown eyed man sitting next to them with his hand gripping the golden handle of a walking stick. </p><p>"A phone call wouldn't go amiss every now and again," You smiled as Phil stood up and embraced you in a hug.<br/>
Phil Coulson was the man who vouched for you, who gave you a second chance when SHIELD deemed your powers too unstable. He was the man who stood by your decisions and guided you in a way that a father could. When you found yourself in the Treskellion all those years ago, so young and afraid, you remember his gentle words, the way he didn't treat you like an agent, but as a human.<br/>
Not a freak like you had believed yourself to be.<br/>
But as an average teenager. </p><p>"We've been out of range," Phil explained, he turned to Melinda, "You remember Agent May?" The Asian woman gave you a nod and a small smile, "And this is Daniel Sousa," </p><p>Your eyes landed on the man who gave you a curt nod by decidedly stayed silent, "Sousa? I recognize that name. SSR later SHIELD. Died in 1955,"</p><p>Phil nodded, "That's right,"</p><p>"So uh, not to be rude. Why is he in my lounge room, in the year 2020?"</p><p>Phil offered you a seat and slid a manila file across the table to you. Flicking it open, you saw a photo of a younger version of the man out of time among numerous pages of his background.</p><p>"He had to die. Officially in 1955," Phil began, "But we couldn't let a good man die," </p><p>"So you kidnapped him?" </p><p>A small smile crossed Daniel's face.</p><p>"I wouldn't say kidnap. We preserved a timeline," Phil clarified, "Look, I remember how well you got Steve Rogers to adapt to the 21st century. We were wondering if you could do the same for Agent Sousa. Get him up to date about what he missed. Help him get comfortable,"</p><p>You turned to look at Daniel who suddenly spoke up, "He's also in the room," You could see that he was trying to keep his face void of emotion, but his eyes showed that he was confused, somewhat scared of this new time.<br/>
Of his future.<br/>
"Is no one going to ask what I want?"</p><p>You nodded in agreement, "Okay then Agent Sousa. What would you like?" </p><p>"To go home. But since that's obviously off the table," He looked at Phil, then to Melinda, and finally to you, determination suddenly set in his eyes, "I'll stay. If I'm not intruding on you and your life,"</p><p>You shrugged, "I'm an Avenger, my life's always intruded on so it doesn't bother me," A small smile crossed your face, "This is going to be hard, but I've read about you. You're gonna be okay,"</p><p>&lt;&gt;</p><p>You made your way down the hallway and into the spare room with your arms filled with a large blanket and pillow, your new roommate limping behind you. After rejecting his help numerous time, he had finally become silent as the walls echoed around you.<br/>
"I haven't really had a chance to clean this room up so you  might need to open a window or something tomorrow once it warms up a bit," You explained, turning on the large overhead light and throwing the blanket and pillow on the bed. You quickly moved around the room tidying it up and making the bed, "I wasn't really expecting a new roommate so soon after the last one moved out so I apologize if you find any woman's clothes under the bed or in the wardrobe. Just let me know and I'll give them to my friend when I see her next," Placing your hands on your hips, you gave Daniel a smile which quickly dropped once you saw the dejected look on his face.</p><p>"What do I do now?" He asked you, sitting ion the edge and looking down at the wooden floor, you watched as he swallowed deeply, "I've been to war, I came home and I've never felt as lost as I do now,".</p><p>You sat down next to him, being sure to keep your distance, "72 hours ago you were in 1955. You're 65 years in the future. It's a pretty hard pill to swallow. There's no manual on how to deal with that. When was the last time you slept? Maybe that's your first step," </p><p>"Properly? 1955," </p><p>You stood up and made your way to the door, "I have something that might help. A Stark concoction," </p><p>"Howard?" </p><p>"Howard died in 1991. Tony's his son. Egotistic, but his hearts in a good place. I'll get Agent Coulson to bring over some files about what's happened to your colleagues between 1955 and now," You paused in the doorway, "You're not allergic to anything are you?" </p><p> </p><p>"Not that I know of," He replied picking at the bed cover and glancing around the room. </p><p>You gave him another smile and motioned for him to wait a moment before making your way to  your kitchen and opening the medicine cabinet. A clear jar filled with 4 white pills sat in the center, the special concoction that Tony and Doctor Bruce Banner made for you many months earlier. You poured one carefully into your hand before replacing the lid and putting it back in the cupboard. </p><p>Gently, you could hear the slight tapping of Daniel's walking stick on the wooden floor as he moved around the room. You poured water into a cup and slowly made your way into the bedroom where you saw him watching the early morning sunrise.<br/>
"At least that's one thing that will never change. A New York sunrise," He commented lowly. </p><p>You held out the pill in the palm of your hand and the water in the other, "The strongest sleeping pill we have. It'll knock you out for a few hours and when you wake up we can start dealing with all this," </p><p>He turned to you and looked down at your hand before shaking his head, "No thank you. I-I'm not comfortable taking that. Thank you for the gesture," </p><p>You gave him as reassuring smile, "It's fine. Ill leave it on the bedside table and if you think you might need it you can take it. Or not," You set the items down on the bedside table and watched as Daniel resumed his position on the edge of the bed.</p><p>"If you uh, if you don't mind I'd like to be alone now," He stated. </p><p>You nodded and pointed to the drawers, "I think there's a singlet and pajama pants in there from an ex boyfriend somewhere. Feel free to use those. I'm just going to do some housework so feel free to come grab me if you need anything,"</p><p>He gave a small nod and you gently closed the door behind you, making your way through the hall and into the living room, you turned on the television and began to clean the dishes on the lounge table. </p><p>A few hours later after the work was done, you slowly made your way down the hall and knocked gently on Daniel's door. Upon not hearing an answer you pushed it open and poked your head inside. Your heart broke at what you saw.<br/>
Daniel was laying stomach down on top of the covers, his walking stick laying abandoned on the floor, dried tear trails down  his face, the white pill on the bedside was gone and the water half empty.</p><p>You gave a sad smile and realized that helping Daniel Sousa was going to be absolutely nothing like helping Steve Rogers.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Buttons On My Coat Were Tangled In My Hair</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Your eyes stared at the files on the coffee table, the SHIELD logo staring at you, almost mockingly, daring you to open them up and read them. To peer into the personal lives of the people from a past time. To peer into the personal file of the man sleeping soundlessly down the hall. <br/>Hands covering the large mug you held between your palms kept your hands somewhat distracted from twitching over the wanting to open them. </p>
<p>You hadn't done it with Steve, but that was because Steve was easy to read. He wasn't a spy like Daniel was. He couldn't hide behind his mask, his eyes and his demeanor gave him away far too easily.  </p>
<p>However with Daniel, he seemed to be taking this all in his stride. Eager to learn new things, eager to reintroduce himself back into society. <br/>It had been 3 weeks and his demeanor hadn't even faltered under your watchful gaze. At night time, when he was sure you couldn't hear or see him;<br/>That was a completely different story.</p>
<p>You reached down and picked up your phone, placing your cup next to it, fully preparing to call the one person on this planet who would know what Daniel was dealing with, what emotions he was feeling; whether Steve Rogers answered his phone to you, that would be decided.<br/>It was the unbalanced walk and the steady sound of a walking stick against your wooden hallway that made you pause what you were doing. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a the familiar dark haired man standing in the doorway, somewhat frozen to the spot as his eyes glanced around before finally landing on you. <br/>A reassuring smile graced your face as you turned in your seat to fully face the former SHIELD agent who was clad in a white singlet and loose pajama pants, "Good morning. Sleep well?" You asked politely, placing your phone down on the coffee table and standing up to meet Daniel halfway into the living room. </p>
<p>"Yeah it was fine," He smiled hesitantly for a moment before pointing to the plush couch, "Do you mind if I-?" </p>
<p>You turned to look at the couch, "Oh no. Please make yourself at home. Anything you need help yourself too. This is pretty much your place as well now," </p>
<p>"Thanks,".</p>
<p>You hovered slightly behind him as he fell into the couch, his walking stick sitting neatly next to him. You watched as his eyes lingered on the manila folders sitting on the oak coffee table before making their way up to the television. <br/>"How do you turn the television on again?" He asked, somewhat hesitantly. </p>
<p>A proper smile graced your face as you made your way to the table and picked up the remote to your TV, "This, is a remote control," You pointed to the large television sitting in the corner, "You find the sensor on the TV, which is located just on the bottom, point the remote, and press the red button," You pressed the red button and the screen lit up to show the familiar news channel you were watching the day before </p>
<p>You watched as an array of emotions crossed Daniel's eyes, his face never once giving away an inch; "How?" </p>
<p>"Please don't ask me that. All I know is I press a button on this and it does things to that,". A small smile crossed Daniel's face as he shook his head slightly and moved his head to look around at your other appliances you had in your home, "Two thousand and twenty. A long way from home," He murmured, his eyes finally landing back on yours. </p>
<p>You placed a hand on his arm and gave a tight smile before reaching over and grabbing the files that were sitting on the table and sitting them on your lap, "Phil came over yesterday when you were asleep. He dropped these off for you," You held them out to him, "Inside is files on your friends, your family, people you worked with; and what became of them over the years,"</p>
<p>His hands hovered over the files for a moment before looking up at you, "Peggy Carter?"</p>
<p>"She's in here too," </p>
<p>"Thank you" He said sincerely as his hands grasped the folder. </p>
<p>You gave a short nod as you stood up, grabbing the empty coffee mug, to make your way over to the kitchenette. Behind you, you could hear the rustling of papers that you assumed Daniel was reading over. Two cups, three sugars between the both of them and two teaspoons of coffee and you waited patiently for your kettle to finish boiling. Last night was an unusually sleepless night for you, waking up every few hours to check on your new roommate, if he had woke up and if so, how he was coping. <br/>You noticed the blank look on his face, the same look Steve once wore. The one that didn't want to show you that he wasn't okay, but you knew that deep down, he was struggling. He was going to continue to struggle until he allowed himself to grieve and accept what he had lost. </p>
<p>"Was she happy?" You heard from behind you. You lifted your kettle off the stove and quickly turned to Daniel who's brown eyes looked deeply saddened. You could see the heartbreak flash across his face and it took you barely a second to figure out who he was talking about.</p>
<p>"In the end? It says here that she had a husband, a few kids," He swallowed the lump in his throat, "Was she happy in the end?"</p>
<p>A small smile crossed your face as you nodded. There's no mention of her husband's name in any files, nor her children; but any time she would speak of them you could hear the pride in her voice; the pure joy she had. <br/>"She was happy, I promise" You watched as he returned to the files and closed them, swallowing once again and placing them down on the coffee table. </p>
<p>"I regret not being able to say goodbye. If I just had one more day, an hour. I'd tell her that I lo-" His words were cut off by your front door swinging open and the familiar, bouncy haired brunette walked into the room. </p>
<p>You placed a hand on your hip and shook your head "Audrey we've talked about this. You can't just walk in without knocking," </p>
<p>The younger woman's eyes widened as she saw Daniel sitting on the couch in his pyjamas. The other man looked increasingly uncomfortable as the silence grew. <br/>"Oh my-" She quickly cut herself off and threw her hands over her mouth, "Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't realise that you had company," She stumbled out, a large smile growing over her face.</p>
<p>A small sigh escaped your lips, "Audrey, this is my new roommate Daniel. He's from New Jersey, just bunking in until he gets settled in," </p>
<p>Daniel gave a small smile as he held out his hand for the younger woman to shake, which she did almost immediately; "It's so so good, great, so great; to meet you Daniel," </p>
<p>The pair of you raised an eyebrow at Audrey's star struck demeanor; "It's wonderful to meet you too Audrey," He replied. You noticed that he was beginning to feel somewhat uncomfortable by how long Audrey was shaking his hand so you cleared your throat to draw her attention to you. </p>
<p>"So what's up anyway? I don't expect you to barge in like this until at least Eleven," You picked up yours and Daniel's coffees and made your way into the living room, setting them carefully down on the table, nodding at Daniel's smile of thanks.</p>
<p>"Oh I forgot what month it was," You heard her mumble under her breath before a smile crossed her face, "You know what, don't stress. I'll ask Mrs. Maisel down the hall if she would be able to help me out. You just uh, settle in and get comfortable.," She backed towards the door, "It's was fantastic meeting you Daniel," </p>
<p>"You too," </p>
<p>"Bye Audrey," You smiled as you gave her a small wave that she greatly returned before exiting the apartment</p>
<p>"She's a bit odd isn't she?"<br/>You turned from the the mug in your hand to look at Daniel who was now staring at the door Audrey left through, "She's harmless. Moved in a few months after me. She's sweet enough,"<br/>You moved over to Daniel who was watching you with curious eyes, "If she was a bad guy she would have a attacked me ages ago. So far she comes over and vents to me. It's nice, makes things less lonely,"<br/>"There's something about her..."<br/>"Come on, instead of scrutinizing my neighbors, how about we learn the wonder that is Google Chrome,"<br/>"Google?"</p>
<p>"You're gonna love it," You grinned as you picked up your phone and pulled open a streaming app.</p>
<p>&lt;&gt;</p>
<p>The strong breeze fell over your face as you pulled your jacket around your body tighter, the sun beamed down on your face as the familiar smell of hot cart food and coffee drifted through the air and into your nostrils. <br/>You side eyed Daniel who was easily keeping your pace through Central Park, his eyes taking all the views around him. The people, the cars; more importantly you knew that the fresh air might do him a bit better.</p>
<p>"So in Two Thousand and Twelve we found Captain Steve Rogers in the Arctic Circle, still in the plane he crashed, frozen," You continued from your previous conversation about major events of the past years he had missed, "Took him back to SHIELD and surprise surprise, he's alive," You watched Daniel's eyebrows raise into his hairline, "Theory has it it was his super soldier serum that preserved him for all those years. A week or so later I get a phone call talking about something called the Avengers Initiative. Now, I'm not a superhero, in fact, people kinda suck," A small laugh came from Daniel's mouth, "But Agent Coulson called in a favor from me to help Steve assimilate to the 21st century,"</p>
<p>Daniel nodded, "How did he cope with it?"</p>
<p>"He's currently on the run from One hundred and Ten countries," </p>
<p>A confused look crossed over his face as he paused and turned to face you, his mouth slightly open, fully prepared to ask questions; however before he could you held up your hand to silence him, "It's such a long story. Short version, we screwed up, now the UN wants to put regulations on people with abnormal abilities,"</p>
<p>"Like Daisy?"</p>
<p>You rose an eyebrow, "No idea who that is. But if she has special abilities then yeah, like Daisy. Like me," You both continued to walk, "The problem with that is it stops the Avengers from going where they needed to be. The government decides where we need to be," </p>
<p>"And that's a bad thing?" </p>
<p>A dry smile crossed your face, "If you ever met General Ross then you would understand why it's bad," You shook your head, "Anyway, they called them the Sokovian Accords. Some of The Avenger's agreed with them, others didn't. Those who did were put under restrictions, those who didn't had a warrant for their arrest set out for them," </p>
<p>"I assume you agreed with them?" </p>
<p>"Why would you say that?" </p>
<p>"Well you're here. You're not looking over your shoulder,"</p>
<p>You nodded and held up your left arm, a strong silver band wrapped around it, "I didn't agree with it. But my friend made a good point, by signing it at least we can then negotiate it. We wouldn't have a chance if we went on the run," </p>
<p>"What does your bracelet do?"</p>
<p>"Stop me from being able to use my abilities," You smiled.</p>
<p>"What are they?" </p>
<p>You pointed to the familiar green and white coffee shop in the distance, "Starbucks, possibly the best and worse coffee place you'll ever set foot in. Founded in 1971, the frappacino's are to die for,"</p>
<p>You missed the concerned look on Daniel's face as you started to walk towards the crosswalk. There was a reason why you didn't like telling people about your powers, the exact same reason why you were ashamed of them when you first met Agent Coulson. They were dangerous, even if you were able to somewhat control them, there were times when you couldn't, and you never knew what was real and what wasn't. It was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. </p>
<p>You'd like to be able to keep them to yourself for just a little bit longer.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. I'll Put His Picture Down And Maybe Get Some Sleep Tonight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Late Night Talks</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I think he’s spiraling. He’s been obsessively reading those files you gave him; he barely eats, I usually have to force him out of his room to interact with me. I gave him a book on world history but apart from that he knows the basics, but he doesn’t really want to throw himself into it.” You told Phil as you slowly walked up the stairs to your apartment building, “We’re having a few hiccups, but nothing I can’t handle,” You slightly grimaced at the memory of Daniel placing a tin can in the microwave, “Just like teaching a baby,” You thought about it for a moment, “A baby who can use a gun and possibly beat the ever living hell out of me. Anyway, how are you going about this bracelet removal thing?” </p><p>“I currently have the absolute best I have to offer working on it for you. She says she should have something to try within the week,” A pause, “Are you sure you wanna go down this path? If Ross finds out what’s happening, there’s only so much I can do to keep you out of the Raft. And that’s if he’s feeling nice,” </p><p>You paused out the front of your apartment door, silence falling between the pair of you for a moment, “I can’t help Daniel the same way I helped Steve if I don’t have it off. And I’m scared that he’ll be swallowed by this darkness if I don’t help him, he’s not a super soldier, he’s not enhanced in any way. He’s just a normal guy who was struggling with the aftermath of the war and now pulled out of time. I’m not scared of the Raft Phil. And I’m absolutely not scared of General Ross,”</p><p>“I’ll see what I can do,”.</p><p>You gave him a soft thanks as you placed your phone back into your pocket, giving a small smile to Audrey who walked past you clutching the gem necklace that hung around her neck tightly in her hand. <br/>She paused for a moment, “How’s having a new roommate?” </p><p>“He’s very quiet,” You laughed as you shifted your bags from one hand to another. </p><p>Audrey shrugged her shoulders, “He’ll come around. New York is a big change if you’re not used to it,” You laughed, “Anyway I should get going. I need to pick up some flowers on the way to see my grandparent’s graves,” </p><p>“Awh,” You gave her a sad smile, “What type?” </p><p>“Lilies, my grandma loved lilies. Granddad not so much, but he’d fill the house with them to make her happy,” </p><p>You grinned, “They’re my favorite as well. He sounds wonderful,”</p><p>“He was. He was my best friend,”. Audrey gave a small wave to you as she made her way down the path you had just come from. You watched as the brunette walked away before turning back to the door and pushing it open. </p><p>You could smell the familiar aroma of coffee mixed in with your floral air freshener. You walked into the kitchen, dumping the bags on the counter and pulling out several packets of meat, sauces and pastas, “I’ve decided,” You began as Daniel walked into the kitchen to see what you were doing, “To cook tonight. Phil introduced me to this amazing pasta recipe back when I first started with the Avengers Initiative. And I figured since I haven’t really had the chance to introduce you to my cooking since arriving, now would be a great opportunity. Whatdya say?” You gave him a large grin as you held up the mince packet and the large jar of sauce</p><p>Daniel gave a soft smile and shook his head, “I’ve love too, but uh,” He pointed back to his bedroom, “I have some things I need to finish first,”</p><p>“I swear I’m not an awful cook,” You bargained, placing the items down on the bench and leaning forward, “In fact I used to regularly be the chef at the compound. Along with Wanda of course,”</p><p>“Wanda?”</p><p>“Maximoff. She’s another enhanced. I hope you both get to meet one day,” You smiled gently at him as he came and sat down at the breakfast bench, leaving his walking stick hanging off the bench by it’s handles.</p><p>“Okay. I’ll give your cooking a try. On the condition that I cook tomorrow night,” </p><p>A larger smile crossed your face. This was good. This was him coming out of his shell, a sense of normalcy, “I supervise,”</p><p>“You supervise,”</p><p>You couldn’t help the smile that grew across your face as a smile crossed his own. You could still see the haunted look in his deep brown eyes as he smiled back, but you couldn’t help but to count this as a victory. Here he was, with you, away from his bedroom and his case files, a cup of coffee in his hands that he made himself; and you figured that perhaps you didn’t need your bracelet to know what was happening with Daniel Sousa, maybe all you needed was to use your brain.</p><p>&lt;&gt;</p><p>You couldn't help but to play with the silver glistening bracelet, even though it was an item that took away your identity, something that you should hate more than anything on this planet, but you loved the way it shone in the sun. You loved how sometimes, when the light from the streetlights hit the right angle, it could illuminate in the night. Like a glowing beacon in a storm. </p><p>The night air was cool around your body, the silky pyjamas Tony had brought you a year earlier for your birthday didn't do much to keep out the bitter chill that the Winter nights were bringing in. Your fingers traced the silver band, small dents from the many times you had tried to remove it littered the polished surface. A small yawn escaped your lips as your arm fell limply by your side and you resumed staring up at the darkened ceiling. Sleep wasn't coming easy for you; the worry you held for Daniel was almost suffocating. <br/>With Steve, he would at the very least sit with you on the couch while blankly watching whatever show was on the television. But with Daniel he would hole himself away where you couldn’t see his emotions. You knew that he was trying so hard to be strong, but even the strongest rocks crumble.</p><p>You knew he was in his room, because you could hear him occasionally shuffling around. A part of you wanted to go into him, to sit with him so you could reassure him that he had someone to talk too; however you knew that this was something that he had to experience for himself, something he had to deal with by himself. <br/>There was no going back to the past for him, there was only moving forward, and if this was the way he could do that, then you would support him every step of the way.</p><p>With a groan, you pushed your blankets back and moved out of your large bed, wrapping your dressing gown around your body and making your way into the kitchen. You didn't put the kettle on like you normally would have, instead you reached into the pantry and pulled out a small pocket of chocolate biscuits before climbing on to the bench, the packet of open biscuits sitting beside you as you watched the shining lights of the New York skyline from your window. </p><p>And that was how Daniel found you moments later when he limped out and looked at you in shock, as if he hadn't been expecting anyone else to be awake at this time of night. <br/>"Sup?" You offered; a mouth still filled with a half-chewed biscuit. You reached down and picked up the packet, holding the open end to him, "Biscuit. You bailed pretty quick after dinner," You gave a small shrug when he shook his head, placing the packet back down, "Which is a shame because there was a great movie on tonight you would have enjoyed,"</p><p>"Would’ve I? 4 weeks I've been living here, and I can't say our ideas of a good movie match yet," Daniel replied. stepping further into the kitchen, reaching into a cupboard and pulling out a glass, "Dinner was good though. Thank you," He poured some water in the glass as you ate another biscuit. </p><p>"Yeah of course it was, I cooked it," You joked, remembering how he hate barely half what he had on his plate. You noticed the dark grey circles under his eyes, how pale his skin was looking, the slight shake in his hand, "You should eat something though," </p><p>He rinsed the empty glass under the running tap as he rose an eyebrow, "Like chocolate biscuits?" </p><p>"I never said I was the healthiest person in the world" Your smile faltered as you saw the somewhat distressed look on the agent’s face, “Are you okay? It’s 2am,” </p><p>Daniel shook his head and leaned against the granite counter top, his eyes downcast as if he were searching for the strength to actually open up to you. You knew it was going to be difficult for him to do so, especially coming out of the time period he did where men showing any sort of emotion was a sign of weakness. You stopped chewing and watched him closely, watching as his jaw clenched, his fingers grabbing on to the edge of the counter as if he were using it to physically hold himself up. </p><p>You decided to take the initiative in this conversation. He barely even knew anything about you, perhaps he wouldn’t open to you until you opened to him. </p><p>“I’m an empath,” You started. </p><p>Daniel’s eyes shot up to meet yours, his eyebrows furrowing as to ask why you were talking about it. Instead of acknowledging it, you just held up your wrist, once again showing him your band and gave a small smile, “I can feel other people’s emotions with just a touch. I can also manipulate them to feel what I want them to feel. Both a blessing and a curse that one,” You gave a self-depreciating smile, “Ever since I’ve had this band on it’s like I’m missing a piece of myself. I can touch things; I can touch people and I feel nothing. There’s just this emptiness inside me that I can’t find anything to fill it with. It’s the reason why I need it off,” </p><p>“Do you feel everything? Or are you able to control it?” Daniel asked, his posture somewhat more relaxed now that you were talking about yourself instead of whatever was going on in his head. </p><p>A short nod, “Yeah. I lived in a compound with an egotistical genius who never slept, a super soldier from 1945, a genius with awful anger issues, and two assassins. You don’t live with those type of people and not learn how to control it. Although, when someone’s feeling something and it’s overpowering, I can feel that no matter how hard I try to stop it,” </p><p>You remember putting your hand on Tony’s shoulder after he watched that video of his parents dying, the pure rage and betrayal spread through his body and into your mind. Tears welled in your eyes as your body almost crumbled under the weight of grief your friend was feeling. Swallowing deeply, you shook away the memory and turned back to Daniel who was watching you with curious eyes. </p><p>“You look tired, you should get to bed,” He gave a lopsided smile, watching as a small smile crossed your own face.</p><p>“I’m worried about you,” You admitted, catching Daniel’s brown eyes with your own and holding them.</p><p>He shook his head, “Don’t be. I’m okay,” </p><p>“Liar,”</p><p>A small smile crossed his face as he reached over and grabbed a biscuit out of the packet, holding it up to show you that he had it. You watched as he took a bite of it and leaned on the counter. </p><p>“I’ve just sort of realized that no matter what, I’m not going back. I can’t walk around my neighborhood again, see friends, family. I miss them,”</p><p>“Would you go back? If you had a chance?”</p><p>“In a heartbeat” There was zero hesitation in his voice, his eyes showing the desperation, the sadness he felt missing his loved ones.</p><p>“I’m sorry” You stated quietly.</p><p>“Me Too”</p>
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